UAE Expo deals

Accords for world fairs in Lombardy capital, Dubai

(ANSA) - Rome, February 7 - Italian Premier Enrico Letta on visits to Abu Dhabi and Dubai struck a bundle of agreements with authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for progress in upcoming world fairs in the two countries, trade, tourism and energy. Two agreements signed in Dubai concern Universal Expositions Milan Expo 2015 and Dubai Expo 2020 to lower customs barriers between the two countries for the next two world fairs. In keeping with the effort to use Milan Expo 2015 as a platform for trade and policy promotion, an agreement signed in Abu Dhabi between Gruppo Cremonini Inalca and the UAE sovereign fund Emirates Advanced Investment Group will create an innovative technological platform to import and distribute Italian agrifood products in the Gulf and throughout the Middle East. The theme of Milan Expo 2015 is ''Feeding the planet. Energy for life'', which runs May 1 to October 31 next year, and deals with food security, combating hunger, and promoting environmentally, socially and economically sustainable global food production practices. A fourth agreement deals with city water treatment and environmental protection, opening cooperation in public bids between the two countries. Moreover, a letter of intent was also signed between the Perugia-based pollution research centre Ciriaf and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology to develop sustainable ''roof cooling'' technology. A working demonstration of the UAE's Masdar City - an entirely sustainable, clean-energy enclave - will be on show at Milan Expo 2015, where the UAE's pavilion will be built following sustainability principles such as rainwater recovery, recycled materials and solar panels, demonstrating the relationship between water, food and energy. Other agreements dealt with building a floating, one-million-barrel oil tank; a partnership between Italian and UAE based hotels; and an accord between Italian and UAE culture authorities. Environmental sustainability is playing a key role too in Milan Expo 2015's official coins and medals, presented Friday at the international World Money Fair in Berlin. Milan Expo's Eco Coins are made in recycled metals - gold, silver and colored titanium. Milan Expo is also producing experimental ''intelligent'' card-coins, and special edition pink metal coins for ''We Women for Expo''. Milan Expo 2015 will also present two of the biggest coins in the world to the two presidents of the Berlin numismatic fair - each measuring 15 cm across. Produced by minters of euro coinage, the big Expo coins represent the unity of the continents, with depictions of five trees from each of the five continents.